Tank-roof covering



June 23, 1925.

J. A. STOUGH TANK ROOF COVERING Filed July 5, 1924 a H v N N ,7 1 T m M..\ .m m 4 0 n M Mr J z of oil vapors a citizen of the United primary Patented June 23, 1925.

AY ALBERT s'rooon,

OI TULSA, OKLAHOMA.

TANK-ROOF COVERING.

Application filed July 5,

To all whomit may concern: 7

Be it known that I, JAY ALBERT STOUGH, States, residing at Tulsa, in the county of Tulsa and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Tank-Roof Coverin and I do declare the following to be a 11,

clear, and exact description of the in- I vention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appfertains to make and use the same, reference ing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to oil tanks and the object thereof is to rovide a novel orm of tank so constructed that liability becoming ignited by static sparks will be practically eliminated. It is well known that there is a good deal of static about oil tanks and frequently the static gaps between the edges of plates, scams or the like provide the necessary spark to i ite the volatile vapors from the oil.

y invention contemplates a novel tank 1 construction in. which liability of static discharges will be eliminated, this being accomlished by providing a tank wall with a ring like series of cover lates or roof plates an an expansion .joint' etween the ring and the roof covering, the ring being securely fastened to the wall.

The novel construction of the invention will be apparent by reference to the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective v ew of a tank constructed in accordance with my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view through part of the roof.

The tank may have the usual wooden supporting structure with. the roof boards 2. Above may be constructed the metallic portion of the tank, that is the outer shell. It

18 shown as comprising a circular wall 3 having an angle 4 at its upper end with a circular rin of roof sheets supported by the boards 2 and by the a le 4. 4

The ring consists o a plurality of segments or members 5 arranged in circular series and secured at their outer edges to the angle 4 by rivets 6 or similar devices, there being a gasket? between the angle 4 and the roof sheets 5. The roof sheets or segments 5 are fastened one to the other by bolts 8 ing to ignite the volati 1924. Serial No. 724,884.

or similar means which pass through elon gated slots 9 in the overlapping portions of the members 5.

. The ring consisting of the members 5 surrounds a central circular space which is adapted to be covered by roofing material 10 of appropriate construction. The edge of the roofing material 10 is spaced from the inner edge 11 of the ring but there is an expansion oint formed between the two. This is made by securing a flexible fabric or similar web 12 to the members 5 by a cleat or cleats 13 and by lapping'the inner edge 14 of the flexible sheet under the roof sheet 10 and upon the blocks 15 where the roof sheet 10 and the flexible web may be fastened to the blocks by fastening devices 16.

A ring or rings 17 of wire rope or similar material may rest within the fold 18 in the expansion joint so that the joint will tend to maintain the open loop position shown in F1 l. The tank may therefore expand an contract without opening seams and providing spark gaps across which-the static of electricity may jump to provide the spark which is necessa to combust the highly volatile gases. All fittings such as the gauge hole coverr19 and the like are provided on the metallic ring.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a tank constructed in accordance with my invention will not rovide sparks tendl e fluid and that the roof may be supported upon the posts 1, the rafters 20 and roof boards or sheathing boards 2 in a novel manner to permit expansion and contraction without danger of. ignitionof the uses taking place due to the construction of the tank. The tank walls and roof are so formed that any static will necessarily be grounded and this of course eliminates the chance of accidental ignition of the gases.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is 1. A tank comprising a wall, a lurality of segments-connected to the wall at the edge thereof and arranged in circular series, roofing material inside the space surrounded the roofing material and the inner edge of the ring.

2. A tank comprising a wall, a lurality of segments connected to the we at the edge thereof and arranged in circular series, roofing material inside the space surrounded by the ring and a flexible connection between the roofing material and the inner edge of the ring, said connection comprising a web fastened to the edges of the ring and to the roofing material.

3. A tank comprising a wall, a plurality of segments connected to the wall at the edge thereof and arranged in circular series, roofing material inside the space surrounded by the ring, a flexible connection between the roofing material and the inner edge of the ring, said connection comprising a web fastened to the edges of the ring and to the roofing material, and a member inside the fold of the web to maintain its position with respeict to the ring and to the roofing materia 4. A tank comprising a wall, a plurality of segments connected to the wall"at the edge thereof and arranged in circular series, roofing material inside the space surrounded by the ring, a flexible connection between the roofing material and the inner edge of the ring, said connection comprising a web .fastened to the edges of the ring and to the roofing material, a member inside the fold of the web to maintain its position with respect to the ring and to the roofing material, and a fitting fastened to the ring so as to be outside the periphery of the roofing material; i

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JAY ALBERT STOUGH. 

